Johnson held a press conference at his campaign headquarters in Glen Burnie, saying he's had a "barrage" of questions from police officers, firefighters and voters about who he will chose to run the public safety agencies. If elected, he said, "we plan on not coming in like gangbusters and replacing people."

Meanwhile, Republican candidate Steve Schuh said it's too soon to discuss personnel matters, other than to say that he plans to build a strong team to lead the county if elected. "This is not the time to be speculating on personnel issues," he said.

Johnson said there's a focus on the county's police department since it was entangled in the scandal that led to the 2013 conviction of former County Executive John R. Leopold on charges of misconduct in office. The allegations against Leopold included that he had police officers carry out personal and political tasks.

Johnson said he's met with police Chief Kevin Davis and fire Chief Michael Cox, who were hired last year by current County Executive Laura Neuman. "They do a good job. I work well with them," Johnson said.

A federal jury Wednesday convicted Cornell Louis Robinson, 44, of Washington, D.C., on charges related to the armed carjacking of an Annapolis couple who were about to enter their vehicle to go to the hospital because the woman was in labor.